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Oddly Normal by Otis Frampton Book Review

Oddly Normal by Otis Frampton
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: March 11, 2015

Meet Oddly Normal, a not so normal ten-year-old with pointed ears and green hair, a half-witch. Oddly has never been to the magical land of Fignation due to her human heritage, but when she makes a disastrous wish on her tenth birthday, Oddly finds herself with a mystery on her hands and in need of a guardian. Used to being an outsider, Oddly is sure that she will fit in easily at her new school in Fignation, but it turns out school is the same whether it is normal or fantasy.

I like the idea of Oddly Normal, mostly because, despite the fantasy element, I think a lot of kids can relate to feeling a bit odd or out of place. The illustrations are vibrant, full of movement and color that flows easily from one frame to another. What I disliked was that, despite going to a fantasy world, the same stereotypes still exist. The geek looks like a stereotypical geek, complete with a pocket protector. Bullies look like bullies and jocks like jocks. As a geek myself, I find this disappointing and it seems to be alienating the very readers that it is trying to draw in--the odd balls. It's a fun storyline, but I wanted more out of it than it could give me.


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